


The New Earthian Job

by iopeneditbeforechristmas



Series: brand new day [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Janerezi day 2016, the Italian job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7618660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iopeneditbeforechristmas/pseuds/iopeneditbeforechristmas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rainstorms and 60s movies go better than Terezi thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Earthian Job

In the New World, Terezi feels different. Refreshed. Cleaner. Like someone’s taken her slate and tidied it up a bit…not exactly wiped it clean, but made more space and given her a brand new bright red chalk to write on it with. She is, for quite possibly the first time in her life, hopeful. Optimistic. Like, maybe she’s not happy, but everything’s gonna work out in the end. 

Her suspicions are confirmed when she meets Jane. For all their time on the lilypad, Terezi doesn’t think she’s ever actually spoken to John’s hot mom yet. And Dave was right when he made that Fruedian slip, because Jane is pretty. Cute, but with a sort of…firm, unyielding stubbornness to her round face. Her skin’s dark and smooth, and her eyes are the clearest shade of blue. 

Perhaps, for all her affinity for red, Terezi’s real love has been blue all along. 

It’s their first storm when Jane stops over at Terezi and Vriska’s house. The two of them are curled up under a blanket in the living room, watching an old heist movie from Earth. John recommended it to her, and Terezi’s watching it for the sole purpose of trashing his terrible taste in movies when they next see each other. Persuading Vriska was easier than anticipated, because Vriska apparently trusts Egbert when it comes to Earth movies. The lack of Nicholas Cage is apparently a serious downside, but they’re both enjoying it well enough. 

By the time Jane knocks on their door, however, Vriska’s getting antsy. Terezi knows why, knows that for all her moirail and best friend’s courage, storms scare her. They bring back memories best forgotten, clammy, sneaking things, filled with cobwebs and the creak of a mast and door-hinges and lips stained salty from more than the sea. 

She practically leaps off the sofa when the doorbell rings, followed by several sharp, insistent raps on their blue-and-red door. Hot on Vriska’s heels comes Terezi, who arrives just in time to see the spectacle of Jane Crocker on their doorstep, dripping wet and sluicing water all over their nice doorway. 

“I’m sorry,” she pants, teeth chattering. "I was out when the storm hit, and it was so sudden. I was trying to get back but I think I hit a wrong turning somewhere and now I’m sort of lost.”

“Oh,” Vriska says. Her upper lip curls into a sneer, like she’s about to say something cutting. 

Terezi cuts her off. “You can stay with us,” she says.

“That’s really nice of you, but I couldn’t possibly intrude…” Jane begins. Terezi isn’t going to let her finish. 

“No, it’s no trouble at all, Miss Crocker.” 

“Why thank you, Miss Pyrope,” says Jane, smiling slightly. She’s got John’s buck teeth. Terezi can sense a serious weakness for goofy Crockerbert teeth. She feels her face crack into her own toothy grin, which would scare a dentist considerable more. She likes Jane. This girl is COO1. 

“I’m leaving,” Vriska mutters abruptly, pushing past Jane into the tempest outside. Terezi contemplates calling after her, but knows that right now, Vriska would rather be alone, or alone with Terezi. Kicking Jane out is not an option, so alone it is. 

“I can leave, if that’s-”

“No, that’s okay. I don’t think I could find her if you did anyway. Welcome to the House of Pyrope-Serket.“

Jane takes off her coat and shoes and shakes herself off, leaving a growing puddle in Terezi’s hall. Her hair’s completely saturated and rests close to her scalp. Red has risen in her cheeks from the exertion of her walk, and there’s a shy half-smile on her lips. Terezi feels suddenly awkward, unsure as to whether she should invite her to finish the movie - it feels unfair to Vriska, somehow. But that’s Alternia talking, the poisonous idea that affection can be shown to four people and four people only, and that friends are impossible and cheating on your moirail. 

Besides, it’s not like Terezi has a matesprit. Jane could fit in there. 

“Follow me, Miss Crocker.”

Terezi leads the way back into the living room. Jane’s face lights up when she sees the movie. “You’re watching The Italian Job? I love that movie!”

“It was recommended to me by our mutual friend Mr Egbert.”

“Really? Isn’t it a bit too good for that?”

Terezi laughs, free and easy, Jane giggling along with her. They sit down, comfortable in their silence, to laugh at heists undertaken in buses and car chases in Minis. By the end of the day, when Miss Crocker leans down to kiss Miss Pyrope full on the lips, Terezi begins to revisit her thought about a noticeable lack of matespritship in her life. 

And the next morning, when Jane joins her to go through a list of ‘actually good Earth movies’, and suggest that an Italian Job-themed heist would be a good idea for FLARPing - she even shows Terezi a tremendous fake moustache - everything seems a little bit more perfect than before.


End file.
